You know the expression, "What you don't know can't hurt you?" Well when it comes to food -- surprise, surprise -- this may not be true.
While I am not one to count calories or obsess about the health content of food, there are definitely days when I strive to eat more healthfully than usual; maybe my jeans have felt a little tighter lately or maybe I want to cleanse the toxins from a long eventful weekend. In my attempts to be healthy, however, sometimes I wonder if what I think is healthy is actually healthy -- or if I'm just deluding myself.
After compiling a list of supposedly healthy choices at Dartmouth I went on a quest to uncover the answers to the myths of healthiness, but the food Dartmouth Dining Services makes from recipes does not have calculated nutritional information.
Despite the lack of nutritional information on hand for most food served at Dartmouth, I attempted to decode ten myths with the help of a few nutritional Web sites as well as registered dietician Elizabeth Rosenberger, who manages Home Plate, Cafe North, and Novack.
1) Buffalo burgers are healthier than cheeseburgers.
True. According to Rosenberger, buffalo meat is the leanest kind of ground beef you can eat. Food Court serves burgers that have a meat-fat ratio of 80 to 20. Home Plate serves burgers with a 90 to 10 ratio. The buffalo burgers at Home Plate have around a 93 to seven percent ratio.
2) Blueberry muffins are the healthiest type of muffins.
False. Rosenberger said she would choose a bran muffin over a blueberry muffin. Although both have similar caloric content, bran muffins have higher fiber content, which can help lower cholesterol.
3) Frozen yogurt is healthier than ice cream.
True. According to Rosenberger, the Colombo frozen yogurt from the machines has a lower fat content than the Edy's Ice Cream served in machines. Half a cup of Edy's Rocky Road ice cream has 110 calories and 10 grams of total fat, while 1/3 of a cup of Colombo frozen yogurt has 110 calories, but only two grams of fat. Other Colombo frozen yogurts have 0 grams of fat.
4) Yogurt covered pretzels are healthy.
False. The only yogurt in yogurt covered pretzels or fruit is the flavoring in the coating, which contains a lot of palm oil, a saturated fat. One cup of yogurt-covered pretzels as about 391 calories, about 123 of which are from fat.
5) The Land O'Lakes alfredo sauce at Collis is not that bad for you.
False. One quarter cup of Land O'Lakes alfredo sauce has 120 calories and 30 percent saturated fat. There are probably at least one to two servings in a serving of Collis pasta.
6) The Blend's smoothies are healthy.
True. Blend smoothies are not low in calories, but Rosenberger says that they are a good choice to meet the calcium and fruit requirements for the day. She has created the recipes for many of the drinks.
7) Rise Crispy Treats and Raisin Bran bars have fewer calories than Pavilion cookies.
False. According to Rosenberger they are all pretty much equal in terms of calories. Even though the Rice Crispy treats and Raisin Bran bars are made from cereal, the amounts of sugar and fats they contain are very similar to the values for Pavilion cookies.
8) Pumpkin pie is healthier than cheesecake.
True. Pumpkin pie isn't necessarily light on calories, but has more health benefits. In terms of daily values, pumpkin pie has 249 percent vitamin A, four percent vitamin C, 15 percent calcium, and 11 percent iron. Cheesecake has only seven percent vitamin A, one percent vitamin C, 17 percent calcium, and three percent iron. Pumpkin pie has more calories than cheesecake, however --- 316 calories compared to 257 calories.
9) Vegan muffins and brownies have fewer calories than non-vegan brownies and muffins.
False. Vegan foods use oil and apple sauce to add moisture to the food instead of eggs, but have just as many calories.
10) Soy milk is healthier and has fewer calories than skim milk.
False. They both have their benefits. Very Vanilla Silk Soymilk and Garelick Skim Milk both have almost equal amounts of vitamin C, calcium, and vitamin D, but the skim milk has less calories and zero fat. Soy milk beats skim milk in percentage of vitamin K, riboflavin, folate and phosphorous, but skim milk has two grams more protein than soy milk.
